Kochi Biennale brings the smile back to India's art world

Curator Jitish Kallat and his team have hatched an outlandish biennale on the theme of “Whorled Explorations”.
Kallat chose two periods from the rich history of the region of Kerala during the 14th and 17th centuries, which influence his curatorial impulses.

The Biennale is set against a spectacular backdrop, spread across eight different venues in Kochi. The second installment of the Biennale presents 94 artists, the majority of them are now very familiar to us. Swiss talent is represented by artists Marie Velardi and Julien Charrière, supported by the Pro Helvetia Foundation, a key player in supporting Swiss artists in India and Indian artists residing in Switzerland.

Anish Kapoor’s first creation in India alone is well worth visiting — created in situ, Descension (2014) is a black whirlpool in a fascinating state of continuous movement. Elsewhere striking pieces can be discovered by lesser-known artists such as Benitha Perciyal and Sahej Rahal, whilst the more-established artist Shanthamani M is represented by the French gallery Suzanne Tarasiève. French galerist Daniel Templon, representative of artist and curator Jitish Kallat, also made the trip to Kochi.

Artist Benitha Perciyal created her space individually in the absence of a gallery. Her impressive installation The Fires of Faith is centered on the history of Christianity in Kerala. Sahej Rahal, represented by Chatterjee & Lal gallery, spent months in Kochi creating a giant installation with a science-fiction theme entitled Harbinger, created in clay, polyurethane, hay and discarded objects. Shanthamani M, who usually works with charcoal, created a piece entirely in this medium measuring 22 meters long. Untold Story of a Millipede that Crossed the Ocean represents a spinal cord grounded directly to the floor, acting as a metaphor for the different civilizations developed on the soils of Kerala.

2014 saw dismal auction results for the Indian art market, and financial support promised by the government was slow in reaching the Biennale, yet the inauguration of the event reignited enthusiasm amongst local key-players. Private organizations and foundations have felt pressured to back the of upcoming edition of Delhi’s India Art Fair, following the departure of many international galleries. During the Biennale, the Gujral Foundation has incidentally announced that it is to sponsor the collaboration of artists from India and Pakistan in Venice in May 2015, where artists Shilpa Gupta and Rashid Rana will be represented.